About the job

• closerlook is based in Chicago and open to remote candidates for this position
• Applicants must have deep pharma experience in order to be considered for this role

Objective

Acting as an advocate for our clients’ business, the Group Strategy Director provides oversight of a cornerstone client account and is a senior level consultant to their clients. This role aids in the identification of client and business challenges and crafting the solutions that we recommend and ultimately deploy. They will partner with the Managing Director and other functional team leaders to mentor and grow a cross-competency team of client service professionals, strategists, and creatives to inspire teams to deliver outstanding marketing solutions for our clients.

Job responsibilities

General

• Cultivate and maintain client-valued relationships as the strategic lead of significant books of business.
• Create and/or direct the creation of core strategy deliverables for multiple pharmaceutical brands across the commercial lifecycle: Launch and brand plans, communication plans, content strategies, creative briefs, and measurement plans
• Lead client discussions and present recommendations: Facilitate rich discussions with and lead presentations to clients and prospective clients regarding their current and potential multi and omni-channel digital campaigns and programs. 
• Partner with the Digital Strategy and Marketing Intelligence teams to generate metrics, analyses and insights that answer core client and internal questions
• Demonstrated ability to lead the generation of insight-driven recommendations using various inputs (primary research, secondary research, database data), including hypotheses and analysis plan development, recommendation formulation and presentation, as well as goal setting and measurement plans for results evaluation
• Ability to inspire internal cross-competency teams and clients with a strategic marketing vision rooted in deep, first experience work in the Pharma / Biotech space

Business Development

• Work in close partnership with cross-functional team to identify potential new business opportunities and develop plans / action steps to secure such business, both with existing clients and new potential pursuit targets
• Provide strong partnership to the agency business development team

Skills required

• Fluency and experience with the broad spectrum of commercial levers available to pharmaceutical and biotech marketers in their pursuit of value creation and better health outcomes
• Demonstrate considerable depth and knowledge of brand segments, messaging, marketing mix, etc. and the legal and regulatory dynamics associated with each
• Working in and across digital and traditional promotional channels and an intimate knowledge of the data available to evaluate their performance
• Developing and deploying data driven segmentation, Omni-channel campaigns, and measurement plans
• Showcase examples of intellectual flexibility in solving complex problems
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills
• Deep understanding of pharma client / agency dynamics and business model
• Working in cross-competency environments
• Possess credibility in the presence of the client

Qualifications

• The qualifications for the position of Group Strategy Director are:
• Bachelor degree required; MBA / Masters Integrated Marketing Communications preferred
• 12 to 15+ years of pharma / biotech sales, marketing, business intelligence and strategy experience
• Consulting and or agency experience a plus
• Demonstrable experience in multiple specialty and primary care therapeutic areas required; Oncology and rare disease experience preferred

Reports to:

• Vice President, Pharma Marketing Strategy